#the wall art is definitely from Thrawn's collection

[starsinmylatte]

Tease (1/2)

Reader is fed up with the lack of attention from a certain Grand Admiral. To force his hand, she decides to send some pictures to tempt him while he's away, but things don't quite go as they were planned.

Pairing: Grand Admiral Thrawn x f!reader

Rating: Explicit (18+ only)

Tags/warnings (for part 1): lingerie, m@sturbation, slight dom/sub undertones

AO3 link here

Author’s note: Here’s the smut I promised! I’ll either post the second chapter tonight, or a different smut prompt partially inspired by @pala-din-djarin ;)

Let me know if you enjoyed it <3

Ch’eo ch’itiseb- my sweet

In the beginning, the plan was to tease your lover ever-so-slightly. Grand Admiral Thrawn had been away from the Chimaera for a week, and you were in no mood to be the last person in line for attention upon his return. Sady, Thrawn had been so busy the week before his departure that he had very little time to spend with you.

As a Commander, you, of course, had your own duties to attend to in his absence, but there was no denying you missed his touch a little more than usual during the unrelentingly long week. It was more than understandable for Thrawn to be busy; he was a Grand Admiral, after all, but it couldn’t hurt for you to remind him exactly what he was missing……

You would never do anything to jeopardize his ongoing mission. Still, he was just on Coruscant visiting the Imperial Palace, and you weren’t exactly above sending some choice pictures to him through an encrypted communication line. Did you know exactly what you were doing by putting on the fine, lacy lingerie he had gifted you but never got the chance to see? Absolutely, but then again… that was the whole point. You wanted him to feel exactly as desperate for you as you did for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you slipped the final stocking into place, you couldn’t help but smile at your reflection in the mirror.

Ah, this should do nicely.

Red, lacy lingerie, which perfectly matched the shade of your lover’s eyes, trailed across your skin like flames. The bralette was mostly sheer, but it offered the perfect amount of support and framed your décolletage in a way you knew Thrawn would find delectable. The matching panties hugged your hips and were partially hidden below a thin belt made from the same lace, which circled your waist and connected to the stockings in the front and back.

You laughed mischievously as you turned to see how the outfit looked from the side reflection in the large mirror, “Oh, this should definitely work well.”

The stockings themselves rested perfectly on the soft swell of your upper thighs, a place you knew Thrawn loved to kiss and mark as his, and they framed your ass beautifully. You were beyond resplendent, a piece of art that he couldn’t have, and you were going to use it to tease him as much as possible. However, if you were actually going to do some real damage, the pictures needed to be convincing.

“What better way to make this authentic than to do it in his bed,” you mused out loud. Fortunately, the datapad could both take and encrypt the pictures, so all you had to do was prop it up on the bedside table and set the photo timer.

The setup was fairly easy for the first few pictures, but all your ideas for poses were running out before long. Then, another exciting thought crossed your mind.

I’ll just set it to video! I can freeze and save sections of it as the pictures; that’ll be absolutely perfect.

You reached up and set the datapad to the necessary specifications before returning to the edge of Thrawn’s bed. Taking the pictures had been building sensual anticipation under your skin, and it went straight to your core as you imagined your lover’s reaction to them. Just the thought of Thrawn, breathless with want and worlds away from having his hands on you…. Well, it was more than enough encouragement for you to hit the record button on the datapad.

The silken black sheets on his bed caressed your soft skin and added another layer of sensation to your already stimulated mind as you lay back down among them. You took a deep, tentative breath in; Thrawn’s intensely masculine scent seemed to be everywhere. It completely surrounded you, drawing you further into the seductive depths of your mind and triggered vivid memories of all the ways he’d taken you on top of them.

One such memory was his powerful form pressing your back deep into the sheets, fucking you at a relentless pace, and worrying the tender skin of your neck with his teeth. Another was of Thrawn bending you over the edge of the bed, pinning you in place with his strong arms as he ravished you from behind, all while whispering filthy sentiments in Cheunh into your ear. Finally, your memory turned to his head dipping between your thighs to drink you in as he drew his true name from your lips like a prayer to some forgotten god….

You glanced to the side, and the mirror on the opposite wall showed a glimpse of just how beautiful you looked, displayed like a prized possession in the middle of his bed. No extra persuasion was needed for you to begin trailing your hands slowly and sensually over your curves. You lightly traced down the bothersome seams of the lingerie, following the path Thrawn’s own hands would’ve taken, before resting one hand at the apex of your thighs and placing the other on the ample swell of your breast.

By this point, the self-sufficient, capable Commander of the Chimaera was all but gone. Your breathing was ragged with desire and coming in short bursts; you would’ve willingly torn the world apart if it meant Thrawn could be in the room. It was all too much. Thought of him, his scent, his imaginary voice in your ear commanding your every move … Your cunt absolutely throbbed with desire. Arousal pooled between your legs, soaking through the lacy fabric and drawing a needy groan from your lips. With a gaze half-lidded and hazy from lust, your head lolled to stare directly into the camera, and you pleaded like it would bring him to bed, “ Thrawn….. please….”

You were so far gone that you hadn’t even noticed your hands were moving of their own volition. At the utterance of his name, two fingers pushed aside the interfering fabric and slipped deep inside your cunt; the other hand pinched down hard on a peaked nipple. Your back bowed off the bed, and stars danced behind your eyes as a broken moan fell from your mouth.

At this point, heady lust had completely taken over. Gasps and cries of pleasure rang out in the silent room as your fingers moved to circle your clit, driving you closer and closer to a shattering climax. You screamed Thrawn’s name when you came, digging your fingers deep into the sheets and searching desperately for stability as the intense orgasm rocked your body.

You stopped the recording on the datapad and laid still for what felt like an eternity as you tried to regain your senses. Finally, you were recovered enough to actually retrieve the datapad from the bedside table. The screen had gone dark, but when you brought the device back to life, something wasn’t quite right; the video was nowhere to be found.

As you checked through all of the possible places it could be, your stomach did a flip as you finally realized what had happened. The video was set to send automatically after it was filmed, so when you hit stop……

One quick glance at the message history confirmed your theory. However, you were so much more preoccupied with the flashing notification button. With a trembling finger, you clicked on it, and an audio file popped up. Thrawn’s voice, usually so soft and collected, was now heavily accented and barely concealing a feral tone, “Ch’eo ch’itiseb, you know you really shouldn’t tease me like this.” He sounded ready to eat you alive.

Sith hells, you were in trouble.

Tagging some friends: @handbaskethell @mittheresabosen @pala-din-djarin @pretty-with-andorian-shingles @bluecynadi

#grand admiral thrawn #thrawn #mitt'raw'nuruodo #chiss #thrawn x f!reader #thrawn x you #thrawn x reader #star wars rebels #star wars: rebels #star wars smut #star wars rebels fanfiction

[thedistantstorm]

Project Compass 27

Read along on AO3 Here

<< Previous Chapter <<     >> Next Chapter >>

This time: Ar’alani, Mitth’raw’nuruodo, and Eli’van’to finally have the talk.

Next time: Ivant and Thrawn seek out an old ally.

-/

Ar’alani was furious. One look at Thrawn and she knew that he’d known. His eyes were wide and his focus was off, as though he’d just been given knowledge that was too much to process. His usual clarity had been replaced by an obvious haze. It had been a possibility, even more now that she had promoted him to be her second in command. Among her staff, only Senior Captain Kresh knew somewhat of Project Compass’s objectives, but she’d sent him away to bring her key players closer. Kresh understood that Ivant’s project was far superior to his pride.

The admiral allowed his floundering to carry on for the rest of the shift, only expressing her disdain for his unusually sloppy behavior with sharp commands to set him back on track and several sighs between impressive eye rolls. The rest of her bridge crew were too busy being concerned with her mood to notice that the captain was consumed by his thoughts, and only when there was less than an hour to go in the shift did she vacate the bridge with a sharp order for Thrawn to seek her out the moment he completed his own duties.

Then, when the hydraulics of the aft doors closed behind her, she raised Captain Ivant on comms. Vehemently, she hissed, “If you are not in my office by the time I arrive-”

“I’m already waiting for you, ma’am,” Ivant cut in, apologetic and polite - or at least as polite as one could be, interrupting their furious commanding officer. “I know,” He added, softer.

She didn’t bother replying, stalking through the hallways of her ship like a predator who’d scented a wounded animal. It took only a few minutes to reach her office from the bridge. She swept past Ivant as she entered, ignoring his rise to attention and salute, the fist clenched over his heart. She did not tell him to sit. “You will tell me everything,” She growled. “You. Will. Not. Lie.”

“Yes, admiral,” Ivant said, determination flavoring his tone.

So it was to be like that, she thought to herself. Ivant would go on the defensive, insisting that he had good reason to go against her. She didn’t doubt that he understood the situation, that he would inform Thrawn of their secrets so lightly, but she also knew he was loyal to Thrawn, to a fault. He saw the best in him - like she did - but at times (most times, she thought, though she’d tried to help him see reason over his devotion) to a far more blinding degree. She didn’t enjoy keeping Thrawn out of the loop, of course. It was a handicap she didn’t enjoy. Thrawn’s reasoning skills, his ability to see what others did not, was help they could use. However, Ar’alani was not willing to risk telling secrets to anyone who would likely end up in enemy hands, who was a prize so clearly coveted. It was not personal.

The slightest roll of her desk chair was silent, the tension in the room thick as she positioned herself comfortably, one leg crossed over the other, shoulders pulled back, posture coiled like a serpent waiting to strike. She watched him evaluate her, assess her emotions. Good, she thought, watching him swallow, noticing the slightest heak peeking out beneath from his high-collared tunic. He should be worried. Any other admiral would have him detained without hearing him out. She could tell he knew.

“You told Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” She accused.

“Yes,” He agreed, meeting her gaze head on. He did not defend himself further.

“Yes?” Her tone escalated sharply, mezzo-alto to soprano, like the opening notes of a furious symphony. “Tell me, Eli’van’to, why I am not reaching across this desk to beat you senseless. It is becoming a more enticing possibility by the second.” She clenched her fists, then folded them across the desk in front of her.

“Vah’nya and Un’hee had already begun telling him the nature of our work,” He began slowly, choosing his words with the care indicative of his fragile position. “Un’hee coerced Thrawn into speaking with her privately. Vah’nya caught them, and pulled them aside. She believed to control what information Un’hee was about to leak, since she did not believe Mitth’raw’nurodo would let it go without a fight.”

It was probable, however, “Did you conspire with either Navigator?”

“No,” Eli said, and at Ar’alani’s frightening glower, the way her eyes glowed with the promise of retribution for lying to her, he added, “Not that the thought didn’t cross my mind, but I would like to think I have some honor and I don’t particularly enjoy manipulating innocent Navigators to play military politics, whether they’re willing to or not.”

Admiral Ar’alani’s focus remained pointed, like a blade, sharp on his face. He did not flush further, there was no tic to indicate that he’d been lying. Eli’van’to had learned a long time ago not to lie, especially not to a Chiss if at all possible, and most importantly never to lie to her. It struck her that he didn’t typically lie at all, not even in the beginning, which was likely more of an ingrained character trait than anything Thrawn could have taught. Thrawn was a master at deception and half-truths, and that, Ar’alani had always believed, was because he’d been capable of deceiving even himself on some level. It would have been a useful skill with the Aristocra and the Admiralty had her not been so inept at the art of politics. Sometimes she wondered how far the Empire’s ruler had dangled him on precarious puppet strings before he realized he’d been made into a pawn. Other times she wondered if he knew and simply valued himself so little in regards to what he believed would benefit the greater good.

If there was one trait both her captains shared, it was extreme understatement of their value to the Ascendancy as the fundamental beings they were.

She sighed and waved her hand, her anger cresting like a wave reaching shore and rolling back within the greater sea. “Sit, Ivant,” She ordered, sighing.

He nodded and did so, waiting for her to continue. She did, though not without rubbing her temples first. “You sought to control things as Vah’nya did,” She supposed. “Were you successful?”

“They told him there’s no antidote, and how he survived the incident back on the Compass. I rather thought that was enough.”

“Obviously. He floundered through the rest of his shift as if concussed. Did he see how it works?”

“No. You know the girls, they’re not for needless violence, though Thrawn did ask.”

“I am not surprised,” She said. “Though I am quite concerned that Vah’nya agreed.”

“So am I,” Ivant nodded, crossing his arms as he leaned back, collecting his thoughts. “She believed that the semantics of how Thrawn learned - being told before he could discover it for himself - would change things.”

“Yes, she’d said as much to me,” Ar’alani hummed. “But do you believe it?”

“They do,” He said, but conceded, “I don’t know what to think. Vah’nya definitely wasn’t keen on telling him more than what Un’hee knows, which, thankfully, isn’t all that much.”

The admiral pursed her lips, considering. “Would you tell him the rest?”

“Our research, yes. The other part,” Eli shook his head. “Not yet. That doesn’t leave the three of us.”

“Good,” She interrupted, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “We are on the same page then.”

Ivant wasn’t able to contain his look of surprise. “Really? You want to reveal our research? I thought-”

Ar’alani rose from her desk, the captain following her with a subtle turn of his head as she procured liquor and glasses - three glasses, Eli noted - from the auspiciously located cabinet near her memory wall. “I do not enjoy keeping secrets, though I suspect you have always assumed otherwise.”

“It’s part of command, ma’am,” He offered tentatively. “I understand the necessity.”

“Yes,” She agreed, “But we both have larger aspirations. If Un’hee and Vah’nya trust him with their most precious secrets - in spite of my wishes - I must take that into account and adapt. It is a new dawn in the Ascendancy. It must be. I must trust them, as I trust you, and as I hope you have come to trust me.”

“I do, Admiral.” He paused, then revised, “Ar’alani.”

She nodded. “Very good, Ivant.”

-/

Thrawn found himself confronted with the last thing he had been expecting to see when he arrived for his post shift-report: Eli, sitting across from Ar’alani, the ornate decanter set in the middle of the desk, liquor of varying levels in each of their glasses as they conversed quietly.

“I’ll spare you the tedium,” She said, gesturing to the vacant seat to Eli’s left. “You are off duty. Sit.” She nodded to Eli, who pulled the stopper from the top of the decanter and poured a healthy glass of liquor - too much for Chiss standards - into a third glass Thrawn hadn’t been able to see.

Still recovering, Thrawn said with confusion shadowing his features, “This isn’t necessary, I-”

“Sit,” Ar’alani ordered. “I happen to know you like this particular infusion, and after the day you’ve had, you obviously need something a bit more bracing than the Navigator’s wintermint tea.”

Thrawn looked between both of them, mind already at work. “You told her what the Navigators and I discussed,” He said to Eli.

Ivant’s eyebrows rose, almost as if questioning Thrawn’s reason to believe he wouldn’t have told the Admiral.

“Navigator Vah’nya insinuated you had autonomy.”

“He does,” Ar’alani answered, then desisted as her answering for the human in their midst only suggested otherwise.

Said human took a slow pull from his drink. “Still, it’s a matter of trust. You gave it away before I could tell her, though, which is part of why you’re here.”

“I will admit that this is a bit of a surprise.”

“Yes,” Ar’alani admitted. “You sent him here to identify Navigators within our midst,” Her lips curled in the beginnings of a smile. “You should know he’s entirely failed at realizing that objective.”

His eyes caught Eli’s glass, inclined in her direction in a sarcastic toast.

Instead of a rebuke, her smile warmed. That was arguably more startling than Eli’s improper gesture in the wake of their commanding officer. “What he has contributed is far more valuable,” She said. “It sounds fantastical, doesn’t it?”

“Navigators who can heal,” Thrawn said, after a very tiny sip of his drink. His voice was quiet, awed, almost hoarse. “Because of a desire to protect.”

Ar’alani’s curved lips took on a true smile, then. Though severe, there was a kindness, a warmth behind her eyes that her smile seemed to brighten, like kindling catching fire. “Yes. A concept that I did not understand until it was shown to me.”

“You’ve seen their abilities at work?” Thrawn asked her.

“In extremes? Twice. Most recently when Un’hee stepped in to save your life,” She began. “The first… it was a little more than two years ago now,” She informed him, her eyes flickering to Ivant before settling back on Thrawn. “On Copero.”

“Vah’nya didn’t elaborate with Un’hee in the room,” Eli said as he knocked back the rest of his drink. He hadn’t had it on the desk before Ar’alani had lifted the decanter to refill his glass. They shared a glance. “Good times,” He said softly.

“That was anything but. You,” She gestured to Ivant, “Were lost. We were waiting for your heart to stop.” She didn’t comment on Thrawn lifting his drink to his lips, nor how it remained poised in front of what must have been one hell of a frown if the furious, unmasked concern his eyes was any indication. She blinked slowly, pulling up the memory in her mind’s eye. “And Vah’nya had all but been pronounced clinically insane.”

For Thrawn’s benefit, Eli cut in. “The Grysks tortured us for months. We managed to escape, but there was a price for doing so,” He said, without further explanation. “I wasn’t conscious when the Steadfast found us. Separating her from me wasn’t-” He shrugged. “Judging by the way Un’hee clung to you after she’d helped you, I believe it’s a psychosomatic side effect. It’d be like leaving someone vulnerable without adequate guards posted to protect them.” He swallowed a little more of his drink and set the glass on Ar’alani’s desk. “But I wasn’t able to tell them, and Vah’nya was conscious and traumatized. Without seeing it, it’s not easy to believe, but it isn’t something to be done lightly.”

“It does not seem to hurt them, though it does take a great deal of energy,” Ar’alani explained.

Thrawn looked between them, then settled his gaze on Eli. “You said there was a price for your escape,” He trailed off, expectantly.

“A bomb on one of the inner hatches. I never would have deactivated it in time, and it would have killed Vah’nya, so,” He didn’t go on about his injuries. “I knew about her abilities, they were the only reason I’d lived as long as I had. She couldn’t heal me completely, mind you, but she’s a smart woman. She’d pulled me back from the brink more times than I could count. She thought it was selfish,” He admitted, gazing at something unseen at a distance, “But I didn’t want to die any more than she wanted to be left alone.”

“Anyway,” Ar’alani interrupted, when her human captain said no more, her voice soft and far-away, “I had allowed Vah’nya to see him, against my better judgement.” She smiled softly. “She’d been non-verbal for days, but when I led her into his room, she sat at the edge of his bed, took his hand in hers and, well,” Ar’alani shrugged. “It was like the mediation the Jedi-boy is so fond of,” She said, “It was strange, seeing her in a trance like that, even as the damage done to him seemed to melt away.”

“I came to the next morning,” Eli took over, jolting Thrawn from his thoughts. “Now, we think that the time away was probably for the best. Vah’nya would have exhausted herself to the point of self-harm to heal me. She had been, for a long while.”

Thrawn looked at the glass in his hands, his fingers woven tightly around it. “Was Un’hee harmed treating my affliction?” He asked carefully.

“We watched over her,” Ar’alani said. “Both of us. She was tired, but not harmed.”

“Without being injured, the girls are stronger than we give them credit for. There are more factors than physical strength at play. Force of will, compassion, a lot of it plays into things,” Ivant told him. “There’s more though.”

Ar’alani nodded. “You failed to predict navigators as we’d hoped you would,” She began, her gaze sharply focused on Eli. “But you did tell us how to keep them.”

“Keep them?”

Ar’alani pulled a holopad from her desk, passed through several layers of encryption, and toggled a key to project data in front of them. “This data is pulled from key Navigators. We cannot provide funding for mysticism - even if we can prove its existence - without providing some kind of data, something to indicate we can replicate what we’ve achieved, even if it’s improbable.”

“You’ve found a way to identify which Navigators are more likely to present with this ability?” Thrawn frowned. “Why now? Surely if this ability were possible we would have-”

Ar’alani pointed to Ivant.

“No. The Navigators are the ones responsible,” He said. “Not me.”

“Yes, you,” She said. “You are the reason Vah’nya was strong enough to subject herself to the Grysks. Your courage inspired her to be brave. Your compassion and sacrifice lit a fire within her. And Un’hee,” She shook her head. “That girl believes you to be the guardian she so desperately desires. You protect and encourage her. You teach her to convert her weaknesses into strengths, where we would have told her to cover them up and move beyond them.”

Sensing his obvious discomfort, Ar’alani addressed Thrawn. “The Ascendancy owes you a great debt, Mitth’raw’nuruodo. You sent us an ally that may very well save our people from the crippling darkness that threatens to consume us from within.”

“By healing them?”

“Look at the data, Thrawn,” Ar’alani gestured to the projection between them.

Bright red eyes scanned through the orange and blue data, the numbers that peaked and stayed, the indicator marks. “Exposure to Navigators who have come into this ability will allow them to more easily attain the levels necessary to manifest it themselves,” Thrawn observed.

“Correct,” Eli seemed to adopt a teaching tone. “What else?”

“It is linked to emotional maturity. How they process their emotions. The ones with higher emotional output, in terms of neural activity indicated here, are more likely to be good candidates.” Thrawn said.

“They are,” He agreed. “We have many candidates identified. The younger ones will be easier to work with, but it would be foolish to discredit older Navigators who are more self aware.”

Ar’alani toggled another chart on her pad. “And this, Mitth’raw’nuruodo. Tell me what you see.”

“These two are higher than the rest,” He began. “Navigators Un’hee and Vah’nya?” He questioned, to which the admiral nodded. “You did not collect as much neural data before this happened.” He indicated a peak, before a plateau in the far longer line that indicated Vah’nya’s brain activity. “This was after her time with the Grysks,” He said, standing as if the projection were tangible. He followed the line. “It had been steadily diminishing,” He reasoned, “But ceased after she’d-” Thrawn whirled around to face Eli as the hand he’d had outstretched flew back to cover his mouth.

Eli smiled, and this time it was unrestrained, genuine.

“We do not have all the data yet from Un’hee, but as you can see, her levels have begun to even out at a level far exceeding Vah’nya’s, even before she managed to save your life,” Ar’alani said, though it could have fallen on deaf ears for how little Thrawn reacted to her words. She sighed, exasperated. Neither man seemed to pay attention to another slow, deliberate roll of her eyes. “Ivant, tell him before he keels over. I believe he wishes to hear it from you.”

Thrawn swallowed, his hand falling away from his face. His expression was serious. “I do,” He said intently, inflection heavy with some mix between seriousness and formality. “I want you to tell me what you have discovered, Eli’van’to.”

“The data suggests,” Eli said, standing to face his fellow captain and indicating the relevant points on the graph from memory, “That the Navigators who are capable of healing will not lose their Sight.”

“Never?” Thrawn asked in that same odd tone.

“That is my belief. Vah’nya and Un’hee say it is something intrinsic that they can tell, in the way they have visions and feel things differently than we do. The data supports that theory.”

“Welcome to Project Compass, Mitth'raw'nuruodo,” Ar’alani said. “I trust what we’ve discussed will remain in the highest confidences, and will not be discussed with your aide.” She inclined her head. “You may go now,” She said dismissively, though there was a spark in her eye as she looked between them. “Both of you.”

They both turned to her, stiffening to attention before stepping back out into the officer’s corridor. Thrawn’s face had gone blank, and so Eli looked up at him in concern. “You okay?” He asked carefully. “I know that was a lot.”

“Mm,” Thrawn hummed. They walked together, side by side. “What Ar’alani said, about you being the catalyst-”

“She’s over exaggerating,” Eli interrupted. “As I have been telling her for some time now, I simply hope I can give them the tools to succeed. Nothing more.”

“On the contrary,” Thrawn said, hand wrapping around Eli’s wrist to stop him from continuing on. He waited until Eli had turned and was looking up at him. Even then, he didn’t pull away. “I believe her,” He said. He searched Eli’s eyes, reveling in how unguarded he was, how natural his confidence presented itself. “I underestimated you. I believed I knew your potential, but I was wrong. You are so much more.” He put his unoccupied hand on Eli’s cheek, his fingertips just barely grazing the soft, rich brown hair at Eli’s temples.

A smaller, darker hand covered the one pressed to Eli’s face as they drew closer together. “You’re saying that because of what I’ve done,” He said softly. “It’s what anyone would have.”

“Not anyone.” His gaze grew more intense, flicked down towards Eli’s lips and back, and couldn’t help meeting the other man’s gentle smile with one to match as he drove the point home. “Only you.”

“Thrawn, I-”

“There you are!” Both Thrawn and Eli flinched back as Ezra approached from behind Thrawn. Eli couldn’t help the small, bashful smirk as Thrawn’s forehead wrinkled in displeasure. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You just kinda left me and I need to know-”

“I will meet you in my quarters shortly. It’s been keyed to recognize biometrics,” Thrawn said, waving him off without even turning to face the Jedi. “Do you not need to meditate?”

“Meditate?” Ezra cocked his head. “No, I’m fine, wh- oh. Karabast,” He swore.

Eli smirked, more amused than upset. “I have some things to take care of myself,” He said, “You know,” He stepped back from Thrawn, their fingertips catching as he pulled away from the hand wrapped around his wrist. He wove their fingers together and squeezed gently before pulling away, “We’ll talk soon, okay?”

Thrawn’s eyes fluttered closed as he accepted the temporary defeat. “I will hold you to that, Ivant.”

He leaned forward and whispered in sun-warmed Sy Bisti, “I like it better when you call me Eli, Captain,” Before spinning on his heel and heading off, leaving Thrawn to stare after him.

“Yeah,” Ezra drawled from behind him, now very much aware of his intrusion. “So…”

Thrawn whirled around and gave him a sinister look.

“I am so sorry,” He said, as Thrawn moved past him. “Though,” He tried to catch up with the far taller man’s strides, “To be fair, if you were about to kiss him, you probably should have picked a less open space. In fact,” He tried, though there was not a chance in hell it would help things, “You could say it’s probably for the best that I interrupted…”

#thranto #mitth'raw'nuruodo #eli vanto #ar'alani #eli vanto/thrawn #sw fanfiction #ezra you little shit #this is the chapter where i finally lit a match in this slow burn #there's actual flirtation and everything #also thrawn loves eli for his brain power #and also because he's a beautiful sunshine boy and there could be no greater gift to the ascendancy #also when this started i never envisioned ar'alani and eli having the relationship they do but i have exactly zero regrets #my writing

[systemic-dreams]

Wizard!Thrawn and Eli are back! I’ll be tagging these with Wizard!Thrawn from now on so you can find them better.

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  

Eli turned sharp left as he entered the seventh floor and walked down the hallway the same number of steps he always did. In no time, he found himself standing between a solid brick wall and the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet. The tapestry quickly captured Thrawn’s attention as all the paintings and statues and various art pieces strewn about the castle did. Eli imagined the Chiss could spend an eternity at Hogwarts simply observing the endless art and history that permeated its bones. But his glittering red eyes suddenly flickered toward the wall opposite and Eli was surprised when he actually reached out and tried to touch it. “A distortion,” he said, his brow furrowing. Eli had been wondering about Thrawn’s eyesight since the day they left Palpatine’s office. He could definitely see better in the dark but there was also that unnerving way he could tell when something was magical just by looking at it. What was he seeing exactly?

“The space here is fragmented,” he said. “This is the room you spoke of?” “Yup,” Eli nodded. “The Room of Requirement - it adapts to the user’s deepest and most dire needs.” “Is it sentient?” Thrawn asked curiously. “Ummm… maybe?” Eli had never considered the room as a person but it definitely had a mind of its own and a finicky one at that. “You have to be really really specific with it, like instructions down to the letter or it won’t even bother.” “Then it is similar to a computer,” Thrawn folded his arms. “Awaiting input from the user and adapting to the set parameters.” Eli hadn’t really thought of it that way. Or of computers at all, in quite a long time but it made sense. “I guess…” he shrugged. “You said you come here to clean.” “Well, not exactly.” Eli sighed. He was getting tired of constantly explaining things. “Lots of people have used this room before. And the most common use for it-” “Is to hide something.” Thrawn narrowed his eyes. “How many?” “I don’t know how many people,” Eli told him. “But I’ve been inventorizing the items and so far the count stands at two thousand two hundred and three.” “Impressive,” Thrawn noted. “I’m not done yet,” Eli said. “Nowhere near.” He rolled his eyes. “You’ll see…” He stepped forward and cleared his mind. ‘I need to find what’s been hidden.’ He began to pace back and forth before the wall. 'I need to clean up the mess they made.’ Thrawn took a step back and watched. 'I need to bring order to the chaos. Show me the room where it’s waiting.’ The third time he walked past triggered the magic inside the Room of Requirement and a door softly appeared where moments ago there had only been brick. Thrawn didn’t wait to reach out and touch the weathered wood with a curious hand, feeling the solid oak beneath his fingers. “Open it,” Eli said casually and he did so. The door creaked on its ancient hinges and swung open unsteadily revealing a tiled black floor and a humongous pile of stuff. Things, objects, items, units, doodads, pieces, puzzles, pictures, paintings, statues, books of all kinds, jewelry, furniture, clothing, silverware, broomsticks, cauldrons, tapestries and toilets, a rather large coatrack, broken chandeliers, stuffed animals, quiddich equipment and the rest was obscured by further piles of stuff. They rose into the air like mountains and beside the door, in a neatly fashioned nook on the left were the two thousand two hundred and three things that Eli had successfully isolated, identified, inventorized and organized into what he called the 'out pile’. “You did this?” Thrawn walked over to the orderly collection of obscure artifacts. “Yep,” Eli said proudly. “It may look very IKEA at the moment but it’s all very organized, I assure you.” Thrawn turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised. Eli sighed. “IKEA is a muggle store for furniture where they put everything on display even if it doesn’t make sense for it to be there.” “Much like this Room.” Thrawn’s eyes flickered. “Nowhere near as messy,” Eli chuckled as he walked over to the lectern he’d placed in front of the out pile. “I’ve written it all down in this ledger.” He pointed to the large open book. The pages were ruled into tables and the last entry read, 'Antique pocketwatch; 1; half a pound; pewter with silverite finish; likely 18th century; charmed to show phases of the moon as well as time; broken’. Thrawn looked over the entry and then at the well organized area where the items were kept. “How do you retrieve them?” he asked. Eli grinned to himself. “That’s the fun part,” he said, bookmarking the page and flipping back to the very beginning of the ledger. The cover was old and brown, no doubt rescued from the junk pile as many of the other items had been. The front page was blank. Eli grabbed the quill that was sticking out of the lectern and dabbed it into a bottle of ink. He rubbed the excess off and put pen to paper, scribbling the word 'book’ on the page. Thrawn watched with interest as the ink faded away and new words began to form. 'Found: 1,283 instance(s) of the word 'book’; 617 item(s) in the category 'Book(s).’ Eli dipped his quill into the ink again and wrote the words 'list category books’. But nothing happened. Undaunted, Eli turned the page to find it ruled and filled with entries about only books. “Impressive,” Thrawn nodded. “You made this yourself?” Eli grinned. “Professor Yularen helped me with this part,” he said, tapping a ledger entry with his wand. The tick glowed white for a moment and Eli looked up at the veritable cornicopia of things before him. Somewhere in the depths, a bubble had formed around a certain book which came leisurely floating towards the second lectern on his left. It hovered gently, waiting for him to take it and Eli quickly grabbed it out of the air. “Tada!” Eli held it out for Thrawn to look at. He raised a suspicious eyebrow. Eli sighed. “It’s an expression of reveal,” he clarified. “When you do something impressive and want people to applaud.” “You want me to applaud?” Thrawn asked. “No, I was being sarcastic,” Eli muttered, his enthusiasm waning. “I see.” Thrawn took the book from Eli’s hands and opened it, skimming the pages before closing it and putting it down on the empty lectern. His eyes scanned the items before him, darting from one to another and then they came to the pocketwatch which lay closed on the small desk beside the lectern. Thrawn lowered his brow and examined it carefully. “May I see that?” he asked. “Uh, sure,” Eli walked over and picked up the pocket watch. It was the last item he’d been studying and it was left quite close the ledger as a consequence. “Here.” He passed it to Thrawn. The watch looked much smaller in his hands, old and worn but still exquisitly crafted and embellished with a complicated pattern that ultimately took the shape of a serpent. Thrawn opened the case and there was a tiny puff of smoke that emitted a silver mist, covering his fingers in dust. “Oh, don’t worry,” Eli said. “They used to coat things in silverite to make the charm last longer. Before we had self-perpetuating magical items that drew on the user’s power instead of the creator.” “Interesting,” Thrawn examined the microscopic dust a little closer. “It feels warm.” “It’s just reacting to the magic in your hands,” Eli said. “Does the same when I stick my wand in it.” Thrawn brushed the powder off his fingers and closed the pocket watch. “May I borrow this?” he asked. “Uh, sure. I guess…” Eli shrugged. “Can I ask why?” “I would like to repair it,” he said. “You think you can fix it?” “Perhaps.” Eli was beginning to hate that word. It built up a wall ten feet high every time Thrawn decided to shut off a part of the conversation. But some things he was only too eager to discuss, most of them mundane and commonplace or about Eli who didn’t like talking about himself. Or other people. It simply wasn’t his place. “Oh!” he suddenly realized. “I have to add another column.” He turned to the ledger and began scribbling something on the page, then he drew his wand and waved it over the edge. He screwed up his face in concentration and stuck out his tongue, trying to get the spell right and then it worked. The table of inventory now had a new column, “On loan”, and Eli put a great big tick next to the entry for the pocket watch. “There,” he said. But when he turned around, the Chiss he was expecting to find, was not. Eli’s eyes searched far and wide through the Room of Hidden Things but within the impressive collection of eyecatching objects, the tall blue man was nowhere to be seen. He sighed. Another annoying little trick he was getting used to. A quick look at the ledger and Eli returned to his work, cautiously picking through the nearest pile of things to add to the growing list. An hour later, he was halfway through repairing a gaudy lampshade with a simple restoration spell when Thrawn emerged from the maze of garbage mountains, carrying an odd looking little statuette in his hand. Eli finished fixing the last tressel on the lampshade. “You’re back,” he said as Thrawn approached. “Where’d you go?” “I wanted to see how big the room was,” he told Eli. “And I found something interesting.” His long blue fingers unravelled, revealing the intricate weave of golden branches over a small crystalline pyramid but what worried Eli most was the bright red glow coming from inside. “What is it?” he asked. “I am not certain.” “What?! You can’t just go picking up random things in here. It could be dangerous.” “I am aware,” Thrawn said gravely, staring at the object. “Do you recognise the carvings?” Eli took a closer look at the engraving on the bottom. Strange characters, squiggly and spiky were arranged neatly in a row. “Well, they’re not runes. Are you sure this is script?” he asked curiously, picking up the pyramid to examine the under side. “It could just be decoration.” “I’m certain.” Now it was Eli’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “You can’t know for sure.” “The characters repeat but not in a decorative pattern. They appear in clusters you would see as words if you could read them. The engraving is made for emphasis on an otherwise completely different style of art work. I suspect it is the name of the creator or a description of the power inside.” Eli looked at the tiny pyramid again. “So what? There’s probably a million useless things just like this in here.” “Not like this one.” “What makes it so special?” “It was the most well hidden.” “Are you kidding?” Eli looked up incredulously and saw the huge gash across his face. “Merlin’s beard! What happened?” “I had to spring a trap in order to deactivate the protection spell surrounding the dais.” “What dais? Sir, we need to get you to the Hospital Wing.” “No, it looks worse than it is. Am I using the phrase correctly?” “This isn’t the time for wordplay, you’re hurt.” “Come. I want you to see this.” He stalked away towards the maze of derelict objects and Eli had no choice but to abandon his lampshade and follow him. “The pattern is very clear.” “Pattern?” Eli warbled. “In this?” He raised his arms. There could be nothing more random to his mind than the many stacks of miscellaneous objects in the Room of Requirement. “You haven’t noticed?” “Well, to be honest, I’ve been stuck by that big pile at the entrance.” “Yes. It would be difficult to see the pattern without first seeing the rest of the design.” “What design?” “The room has been shaped by the needs of not one user but many. The very first was likely a builder who wished to hide the statue he damaged during construction. It is the very first thing you see when you walk in. Meaning, he knew he was going to seal the room with mortar so no one else could find it.” “But the room wasn't​ sealed.” "It was. And then fragmented with magic. The entrance is a portal which reacts to the psyche of the user, forming a space in time which befits the specified requirements.” “Yeah, I figured it was something like that.” “But before it terraforms the space, it checks for previously made solutions to similar problems and if it can find one, the solution is reused and modified which is how this specific room came to be.” “Makes sense. But you said there’s a pattern.” “Yes. The mounds are not random. They are placed in order of required urgency and secrecy. One who seeks to find a place to discard a broken pocket watch will not look much further past the first mound. One who is ashamed of what they hide will delve deeper. And another still, might find themselves lost before ever securing the perfect location. In which case, the room will guide them back to the entrance.” “Uhuh…” Eli tried to follow. “So lots of people have been through here. That’s why it’s so big.” “On the contrary, the Room itself is quite small.” “Umm… I think you hit your head a little too hard. I can see it going on for ages.” Eli put his hand up to visor his eyes. “An illusion,” Thrawn said. “Observe.” He clicked his fingers and pointed two of them towards Eli, raising him abruptly off the floor. The boy gasped but quickly saw what the Chiss was trying to show him. As he rose into the air, the corners of the room seemingly shifted and flickered, trying to decide the vanishing point for his line of sight. Eli slowly returned to the ground and the corners returned to their original positions but an unsettling feeling had found a home in the pit of his stomach. “It only looks that big?” he asked. “Yes. In reality, there are only ten different mounds, filled with simulations of objects that don’t exist outside the room. The illusion, it…” He glanced over his shoulder. “Vvodit v zoblujeniye.” “It’s misleading,” Eli said, glaring at the end of the room accusingly, trying to see what other tricks it had up its sleeve. “Wait, are we just walking around in circles?” Thrawn stopped abruptly and the illusion quivered all around them. “What are you doing?” “Modifying the parameters.” “While we’re in the room?!” Eli muttered nervously. The floor rumbled and expanded beneath them, revealing a walkway that led straight past several mounds and seemingly split reality in half like wallpaper. “What did you tell it to do?” Eli asked, squinting into the distance. “To reveal what is truly hidden.” “So the rest of this isn’t hidden enough?” “A distraction,” Thrawn said, marching down the walkway towards the breach. Eli followed, his curiosity piqued. He’d been rummaging through the Room of Hidden Things for several years and he hadn’t the slightest inclination that it could be hiding more than he could see. Unsurprising in a place like Hogwarts but also a little alarming. What could be so important that it was hidden amongst what was hidden in a room inaccessible but by those who knew of its existence. His eyes suddenly darted to the statuette in Thrawn’s hand and its eerie red glow. What could it be? They reached the tear and Thrawn stepped over the threshold, into the darkness. He raised his free hand up and a ball of blue light grew steadily more iridescent in his palm. It illuminated the ominous stone floor as Eli climbed through the tear. The light expanded to show them the rest of the hidden chamber. Carved of stone and gilt with bronze, giant amethysts were ensconced in the walls and held up by statues of hooded figures, glittering menacingly in the faint light. In the centre was a tall dais, missing a certain pyramid shaped object that slotted into an indent. The dais was encircled by lengthy arcs of characters similar to the ones Thrawn had shown him. They were painted with an eerie red liquid that Eli had a bad feeling was old blood. “What do you think?” Thrawn asked him. “I think we should leave,” Eli said suddenly. “There is no danger. I dismantled the traps.” Eli shook his head. “There’s something off about all this.” “Off?” Eli had forgotten who he was talking to. “When something doesn’t feel quite right.” “Yes, I have the same impression,” Thrawn told him. “Do you recognise any of the symbols, the architecture?” Eli took another look around but all he could feel was incredibly unsettled. “No,” he said. “What is this place?” Thrawn looked at him for a moment and then turned his attention to the room. He walked over to a wall and brushed his fingers over the mortar. “This is the area you call the Room of Requirement,” he said. “Its true physical form.” “You mean, the bit behind the brick wall.” “Yes, we passed through it here.” He pointed out where the door should have been. “But this is…” Eli looked around fearfully as a cold shiver ran down his spine. “What is this? "A ritual chamber,” Thrawn said, walking over to examine some of the statues. “Amethysts are conductors of magic, often used by ancient peoples to power their spells. The way they are arranged suggests there need to be three willing participants for the ritual to take place.” “What does it do?” “I am not certain,” Thrawn frowned. “But if I could remove this from the dais without performing the ritual…” he lifted up the statuette. “What?” “The shape is odd, four points converging into one, and the glow.” “Sir, I don’t like this.” “The markings on the floor, made in blood…” “Sir, I’d like to leave.” Thrawn turned to look at Eli who was fidgeting nervously. “Of course. I apologise for making you uncomfortable.” He walked back towards the tear and Eli gratefully clambered into the Room of Requirement, happy to be rid of that awful place. He breathed a little easier, knowing he was back in the safety of his mountains of junk. His mounds of garbage, and his hills of detritus. Thrawn crossed the threshold too. But unlike Eli, his gaze was drawn to the darkness of the ritual chamber. Something in there was calling to him but he broke its hold and strode away briskly, aware of the look Eli was giving him. “Hold on,” he said. “If that was the real Room of Requirement, then this is…” “An illusion, as I said.” “We should tell Professor Palpatine.” “No,” Thrawn said rather forcefully, stopping to look at Eli. “You cannot tell the Headmaster.” “Why? He’s got me inventorying things that don’t even exist,” Eli argued. “Please,” Thrawn insisted. “He must not know I have this.” He showed him the statuette again. “Oh yeah, how are you gonna hide it from him? That thing glows with magical energy. Who knows what’ll happen if you remove it from the Room.” “It will be safe,” Thrawn assured him. “The illusion is created by the room, not this.” “That’s reassuring,” Eli said sarcastically. “And the Ysalimir will mask the energy signature.” “The what?” Thrawn’s hand disappeared into the fold of his robe and deposited the statuette into the pocket with the slumbering salamander. “What is that thing?” Eli asked peering down at it. “Ysalimiri are reptiles native to the Americas. They reject magical energies making them difficult to spot for a mage.” “How did you find one?” “I may have accidentally knocked it out of a tree,” Thrawn admitted. “Accidentally?” “It was not my intention to cause it harm but such was the result.” “Why is it in your pocket?” “I haven’t been able to remove it,” Thrawn said with a hint of animosity. “It finds a way back to me every time I leave it somewhere.” “That’s called having a pet, sir.” “Domesticating an animal is voluntary,” Thrawn explained. “This is most certainly not, I assure you.” “Uhuh…” Eli looked down at the lizard hugging its new toy. The eerie red glow had dulled somewhat and the statuette itself began to resemble a paperweight. “Well, we should get you to the Hospital Wing, sir,” Eli said. He turned around and caught sight of the order he’d been making of the mess. His carefully constructed system of inventory. “Apparently, I’ve been wasting my time…”

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[thedistantstorm]

Project Compass 16

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This time: A moment of balance between Thrawn and Eli.

Next Time: Thrawn and Ezra receive their orders. Tensions rise.

-/

It was late. Even for a Chiss. Very few lights were on, as the majority of those within the manor are able to see well enough into the infrared not to necessitate lights, though ornate candles burn at different points down several of the halls. It was a decorative choice, sure, but it also was meant to cater to the human whose rooms were directly across from his. In a way, Thrawn could appreciate it like this, the way the yellow-orange light flickered and splashed across the halls, highlighting historical, ornamental art.

But at the same time, he found he much preferred the remainder of the estate in its natural, unlit fashion, the purple black skies, hazy with clouds visible from the floor to ceiling windows in the main lounge that overlooked the front of the manor. Everything was dark, and even with the ability to see into a superior spectrum, most everything had cooled thanks to the temperature regulation systems.

A flicker of lightning danced across the sky, visible through the windows. After a moment followed the deep, rumbling thunder. Thrawn stopped just inside the lounge, head tilted toward the window. It was not yet raining. More lightning flashed, the heat of it lingering long after the light disappeared. Soon.

He did not entirely dislike this place. It was far more appropriate for his brother than he, but it was symbolic that they’d been chosen. That both he and Thrass were destined for far greater things. It was not home, however. His place was aboard a ship, in the inky darkness of space, hurtling across the stars. He could appreciate any number of planets and their peoples, but more importantly, their art - but it would not compare to what drove him. What defined him. He was never going to settle down in this place and live out the rest of his days.

The sound of footsteps from another hallway drew his attention. They were not loud nor tentative - not an attendant, then. They were measured. Even. More thunder crashed. They did not break pace, so he knew it could not be Thrass.

“Surprised you’re up,” Came the casual greeting, the smooth-tone voice that belonged to Eli Vanto. He approached the wall length windows with a sense of wonder, hands going to his hips and eyes turned skyward. “Gonna be one hell of a storm,” He said, words lilting with the mildest twang in Sy Bisti. “Kinda reminds me of summer storms on Lysatra.”

There was a long pause, nearly an entire minute of lightning and the successive thunder before Thrawn spoke. “Do you miss it?” He asked, his Sy Bisti accented ever so slightly with Cheunh.

“Sometimes,” Eli admitted. “But not as much as I expected.” He turned his head, giving Thrawn a once over, though he could only really see the Chiss’s left side. “What’re you doing up at this hour?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Thrawn fired back, glowing eyes casting the slightest haze on his cheeks. “The hour is not entirely scandalous for a Chiss, as you no doubt know, but I do not believe it is an hour a human strives to be conscious for.”

Vanto conceded the point with an embarrassed smile. For a second, Thrawn found his eyes drawn to the curve of the other man’s mouth, then shifting up to see the similar softness in his eyes. This was the facial expression of a man Thrawn knew. He recognized Vanto’s sheepish embarrassment and knew immediately what it was. In this, at least, he knew his old comrade. It was a boon that he clung to.

“You were up working on research,” Thrawn appraised him, seeing the lingering dampness of his hair on the next lightning strike. “Your sleep cycle hasn’t reset.”

A purse of Eli’s lips indicated that Thrawn was right.

“Three days?”

“Two and a half,” The human clarified. “But technically, I was up for around four.”

“You shouldn’t do that,” Thrawn advised. “The human body is not designed for such-” He broke off, realizing he’d slipped right into command-tone, speaking to Eli as though he were the other man’s superior. It was habit. Instinct. Completely uncalled for, but the words had left his lips and could not be taken back.

Vanto turned to face him bodily, looking up at him now. He smiled, again, and Thrawn froze. “You’re right.” Then, laughing to himself, a small huff of a thing, he added, “Sometimes I think I’d kill to be an ensign again. Only time I get a solid eight these days is when I pull kriff like this.”

Thrawn hummed, pensive. He watched Vanto’s posture, intent on being sure there was no lingering discontent from his words. “I had not meant to reprimand you,” He said. “I was merely-” Merely what, exactly? Thrawn wasn’t entirely sure how to continue. Concerned? Surely he knew Vanto could take care of himself. It was unlike him to speak so carelessly.

“I know. I’m not angry.” He shrugged. In fact, he seemed amused.

It only confused the Chiss more. “You are more expressive now,” Thrawn explained. Then, he added, masking his frustration with his usual cool, “I do not understand.”

“You’re thinking too much.” Lightning flickered, and for a moment Thrawn could see the deep cinnamon-brown flecks in the depths of Vanto’s dark eyes. “I’m goin’ to go down to the kitchens and kick out whomever your dumbass brother has on duty for no reason at o’three hundred. I like makin’ my own breakfast when the situation allows. Want to join me?”

“That will undoubtedly upset Thrass,” Thrawn said. “He will-”

Vanto’s eyes sparked mischievously, one brow rising. Thrawn swallowed hard, taking in the nuance, cataloging it for later reflection. The complexities that he’d layered on, the way he was the same Eli Vanto, and yet at the same time this confident, collected Captain Ivant, all of it was overwhelming, heady. Enticing. “Tell me you don’t like pissing off your brother,” Eli prompted.

That was all the convincing it took, not that Thrawn had been planning to turn down an invitation to make further amends with his current commanding officer. “I have no idea what you mean, Captain,” Thrawn said, facial expression neutral and voice smooth as stone.

“Right,” Eli drawled. “C’mon, Commander, let’s see if I can’t turn out a decent meal with whatever delicacies the chefs keep on hand.”

“Lead the way.”

-/

“One thing I will say about the Chiss is that y’all certainly have better taste in breakfast foods than the Empire ever did.”

“You did not find their powdered protein rations enjoyable?” Thrawn asked dryly, cutting a piece of omelette with his utensil and tasting it. It was good. Not purely Chiss cuisine, but not like anything he’d eaten throughout his time with the Empire, either. It was a fusion of the two.

“I’m a Wild Space hick, remember? My people ate real food they grew, not powder and gel.” Thrawn hummed. Eli plucked a pot of some kind of jellied sauce off a tray in the center of the expansive kitchen island and spooned a generous portion over his own. “You have this stuff? It’s kind of spicy, definitely not meant for this kind of dish, but it’s good.”

Thrawn gestured for it and Eli passed it over. “You’ve cooked in this kitchen before,” He mused, as he followed Eli’s lead. He’d had this sauce before, but it was meant for expensive and exotic meat cuts, not an egg scramble with common vegetable greens. He tried it, and found the spice to be agreeable but not overwhelming. It brought out the buttery flavor of the egg-wrapped greens.

“Yeah. Kinda spent some time here after I got back from Grysk Space.” He didn’t elaborate. Thrawn didn’t expect him to.

“So I was told,” He agreed. They ate in silence, both watching the storm through the window. The silence between them was comfortable. Familiar, with the charge of something new. “My brother considers you a friend,” He said slowly, after a while.

Eli shrugged. “That bother you?”

“Not at all,” Thrawn said, and Eli frowned. “I believe he was baiting me.”

“No doubt he was.” The human turned on his stool, facing him instead of the window in front of them both. “He was worried about you, before I went away.”

Thrawn got the feeling ‘away’ was the mission that got him and Vah’nya captured, but ignored it in lieu of keeping the mood light. “He is not all bad,” The Chiss admitted. “More infuriating than anything.”

“You can say that again,” Eli agreed. “Though I think I’d take infuriating and obtuse over genuine. The few times I’ve seen that were freaky, even for me.”

“Now I know why he likes you,” Thrawn didn’t smile, but there was a sort of warmth to his gaze, a fond quirk of his lips as he regarded his Captain. “You embrace him as he is.”

“I don’t know about that.” He returned to his meal, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before continuing. “He’s a pain in my ass, even when we’re on the same side of an issue.”

“That is his way,” Thrawn agreed. “It’s been twenty years since I’ve spent any real time with him and he’s hardly any different than when I left.”

“That right?”

Thrawn considered it a moment. “He is a bit more over the top now. I suspect it’s due to political tensions that have put strain on his position.”

“You’re not wrong there,” Vanto said.

“I do wonder if it is similarly related to me, though.”

A pensive look crossed Vanto’s features. “We’d be on the brink of war even if you stayed with the Empire. Seems to me like the fissures between the ruling families have gone on ignored for a while. They run deep. I’d prefer to keep them fighting it out in assemblies and council meetings rather than open warfare. The Grysk will be waiting for us, if or when that happens.”

“I think you believe it is a matter of when, not if,” Thrawn pressed.

“Perhaps,” He looked out the window as lightning struck and thunder followed, crisp and loud.

“Can you elaborate?”

This time, Eli fixed him a look. It was regretful, but resolute. “Not yet,” He said. “I’m sorry.”

Thrawn nodded. “I understand. It is… difficult.”

“Weird, you mean.” Eli smiled, small and sad. “It’s weird to be your CO. It must be even weirder to you for me to be comfortable in your family home.”

“It is strange, yes,” Thrawn supposed. “But I do not resent you for it. You are-” He stopped. Considered. “I owe you a great debt,” He said, but Eli could see the way the cogs in his mind were turning. It wasn’t what Thrawn wanted to say, or at least that’s what Eli seemed to think.

Vanto rose from his stool, taking his empty plate and Thrawn’s, rinsing them both in the sink while Thrawn sized him up, analyzing him in the following silence. He let it happen, let the Commander work through his assessment of the situation on his own. The steaming device that sterilized any used cookware and dishes was cycled on with the touch of a button before he returned to his seat, a half-drank mug of tea sitting in front of his stool.

“I need to make something clear with you,” Eli said. “Any debt you could possibly owe me has been paid in full.”

Thrawn protested, “I do not-” But Eli held his ground.

“I wouldn’t be who I am today if you didn’t yank me out of the supply track all those years ago and insist I be your translator. I’ve learned a hell of a lot from you and I’m happy to be where I am.” Conviction laced through his words. “This is where I need to be.”

They stared at each other, irises darting back and forth, almost like some unspoken battle of wills. “I am glad you chose to come to the Ascendancy,” Thrawn said finally. A rare note of overt sincerity flavored his tone. “I do not think I have ever told you as much.”

“Yeah,” Vanto said. “Me too.”

-/

Thrass rolled his eyes spectacularly as he passed by the outdoor courtyard that had become a sparring zone. Off to one side, Un'hee and Ar'alani sat reading under a wide brimmed umbrella that blocked the glare from the sun. In the center of the courtyard, Thrawn was running a clinic, putting his stray Jedi through the paces. Show off, Thrass thought.

"Syndic," Ar'alani acknowledged, not looking up from her work. Un'hee finished the page of her book and turned in her chair to give the elder Mitth brother a smile and wave.

"Good day," He greeted them both. "Have either of you seen our dear friend Captain Ivant?"

Ar'alani inclined her head. "Perhaps he is catching up on sleep. Humans do need more of that, and he did recently work himself silly on a project."

"You military types really are no fun," Thrass pointed out. "I simply wished to thank him for giving my kitchen staff half the night off."

"This does not concern me," Ar'alani said dismissively, returning to her datapad and reviewing whatever information was displayed upon it.

Thrass sighed. "Of course. Well, if you see him, do let me know. I love waking up to my staff gossiping about my brother and his clandestine affairs."

"I see," Ar'alani murmured to herself. "That explains why he's in a good mood."

"Which one?" Thrass groused.

"Thrawn, obviously." Across the way, Ezra grunted, trying to redirect one of Thrawn's advances with minimal success. Thrawn turned it into a teaching moment, and they began again.

"He seems… lighter, today," Un'hee agreed softly. The young navigator flinched, and Ar'alani braced herself. Sure enough, a moment later, Ezra and his practice weapon went flying with a strangled grunt.

"Well," Thrass said, tone brightening as if he remembered his audience, "I suppose that is at least something beneficial in all of this. If you see Ivant, please remind him that my staff is not to be won over or dismissed without my express permission, even at all hours of the night when he feels prone to revisit his love of cooking."

"Is - But Thrawn is a member of your house," Un'hee thought aloud, face furrowing in concentration as she considered the point she wanted to make. "He could dismiss staff if he wanted to, right?"

They studied each other a moment, then Thrass laughed, eyes gleaming. "You are too smart for your own good, Navigator." Thrawn's elder brother checked to make sure he had not drawn his younger sibling's attention with the sharpness of his laugh. "Let’s keep that our little secret, shall we?" He added, conspiratorially.

Un'hee grinned and Thrass patted her once, twice on the crown of her head. Meanwhile, his gaze found the subtle upturn of Ar'alani's lips.

Softly, almost as though under her breath, she released the truth."I believe Ivant and Vah'nya had something to handle this morning," She informed him. "They will be joining us later."

"So he is not sleeping the day away after staying up all night chatting with my brother?" Thrass sounded put out. "It would have been far more enjoyable to tease him had that been the case."

Ar'alani made a show of pulling up a new report and ignoring him, to the delight of Un'hee and her bright, youthful giggles.

#thranto #eli vanto #mitth'raw'nuruodo #eli vanto/thrawn #mitth'ras'safis #ar'alani #un'hee #sw fanfiction #my writing